Campus Bees: Our Passion Project for More Biodiversity

From the idea to sponsorship

Why go far away when we can make a difference right here? We asked ourselves: How can we make a tangible contribution to the environment in Dübendorf? While brainstorming, the topic of bees came up - a passion that two of our Campus members have shared for some time. It quickly became clear that these small, buzzing miracle creatures are not only fascinating, but indispensable. About 80 % of native flowering plants depend on their pollination. At the same time, 45 % of all bee species are threatened with extinction.

A beehive on the roof next to our solar system? Unfortunately, too inconvenient and difficult to access. But then we discovered a charming beehive directly opposite our main building during our lunchtime jog. We quickly made contact with the bee dadReto Haltinner, the chemistry was right straight away - and the idea of a bee sponsorship was born. Today we are the proud sponsors of six bee colonies, which we were even allowed to name ourselves. About 400,000 campus bees flew through Dübendorf this summer, diligently collecting pollen and providing exciting insights during our visits.

Sweet promotional gifts with added value

The results of our little helpers are something to be seen (and tasted): They have already collected an impressive 155 kg of honey over the spring and summer. This resulted in 618 jars of the finest Dübendorf honey, which we are delighted to be able to use as useful promotional gifts. And the beeswax is also being put to creative use. It's still top secret... but together with Soglio in Bergell, we're trying to make lip balm from it, which we hope to surprise our customers, partners and Campus members with next year.

Looking ahead: promoting wild bees

But our journey is far from over. Did you know that 97 % of the 615 bee species in Switzerland are wild bees? In contrast to honey bees, they mainly lack habitat. That's why we want to support them in future with suitable nesting facilities and other projects to promote biodiversity.

There is already a lot of buzzing going on at our head office: we have deliberately planted many bee-friendly plants and flowers on the terrace. This provides our bees with additional sources of food directly on site and at the same time brightens up our working day with colourful flowers.